what happened to talonite?

M

M Wadel

Joined
Sep 11, 2005
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i remember a few years ago you could get the camillus edc in talonite, and it wasnt that expensive. what happened to talonite and stellite, did they go out of fashion?

im still trying to find a camillus edc talonite (or other inexpensive 3-3,5inch talonite folder), does anybody still carry them (online)? does anybody know any good substitute folders still being availible. i need talonite :D
 
The Talonite EDC still shows up on the Cumberland Knives website.

Talonite and Stellite were never popular. Most people are just not willing to pay the premium that these materials cost. When the Talonite EDC was current, the standard EDC had a 154CM blade and was 1/3 the price.
 
I have a Rekat Carnivore with the talonite blade and carbon fiber handles. It is a big knife with almost a 4 inch blade. Can't remember the custom maker who designed it.Although I never used it it, I do carry it at times and love it.I did rehandle it to fit my medium hands.:thumbup: :D
 
dannyvi said:
I have a Rekat Carnivore with the talonite blade and carbon fiber handles. ... ... ... Can't remember the custom maker who designed it.
Click to expand...
Pat Crawford made the original. I think Bob Kasper may have helped with the design.

The "Carnivore" was the Crawford original. "The "Carnivour" was the REKAT production model.
 
Talonite sales were up again last year. I just did the math and sales increased 83% over 2004.

That being said, Talonite will never be sold in the same quantities as blade steels. It is a very specialized and very expensive material. Very few people are willing to pay the price.
 
I got a drop point hunter from A.G. Russell,don't know if they still market them,but Keith is right,the stainless version was about 1/3 the price. :)
 
I just picked up a talonite EDC "on the bay," as it were.

Just to refresh my memory, I am correct in the belief that it is one of those metals that doesn't feel sharp and yet it continues to cut just fine?

Just wondering, as I can't seem to get what I consider to be sufficient sharpness with it.
 
my darrel ralph 4" maxx talonite spear point blade is scary sharp.

i like talonite myself though i dont know if its worth the large premium, too me anyway, maybe if ya were around the ocean/etc a lot,
 
It's not just the cost of the material, but from what I understand, it's a PIA to work with in a knifemaking shop, and I'm sure that adds to the cost as well.
 
For Stellite you can go to:

tichbourneknives.com

He's a great guy to deal with. I've never used his Stellite, but I've got a piece coming from him.
 
orthogonal1 said:
I am correct in the belief that it is one of those metals that doesn't feel sharp and yet it continues to cut just fine?
Click to expand...

No, it needs to be sharp to cut well, the main problem with sharpening it is that it is so soft it tends to burr easily.

-Cliff
 
The simple problem is that the main component in either is Cobalt, not a common material and therefor more expensive than plain old iron.

As a result the stellite or talonite is ten times more expensive than 440C or ATS so the end price of the knife must reflect this cost.

I like working with the material and have a couple on the bench being finished now in folder configurations because here the blade material premium as a percentage of the overall cost is more affordable than in a fixed blade.
 
Mmmm, I must be getting a "serrated" burr.

Gotta get another jewelers eye to look at it better.

And more lapping paste.

Thanks
 
People still love and buy Tom Mayo's TnT's, many of which are either Stellite or Talonite, Greg Lightfoot makes some knives with Stellite, I have seen several Carsons with Stellite blades, and Strider still makes some custom SLCC's with Stellite.

Personally, I love neck knives made of Talonite/Stellite since my sweat will rust even S30V.
 
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